Two Freds!
by sailorstar0183
Summary: Fred gets an unusual locket in the mail... and chaos ensues. This is for those of you who can't choose between Gunn and Wesley.


Hi! I'm Sailor Star, and I'm a fanfic-aholic. Ok, that was lame. But seriously. I love to read fanfics, and I've written several, mostly in the realm of anime. This is my first Angel fanfic, and I'd love to get some feedback. Tell me what you think, please?  
  
The idea for this fic came from a dream that I had a few nights ago, so I decided to make it into a story. There will be appearances by Angel, Lilah, Cordy, and Lorne (and possibly Connor), but this story revolves around Gunn, Fred, and Wesley. Just read and find out what happens. . .  
  
Disclaimer: Neither the characters nor the show belong to me. However, the story does :-)  
  
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::Heed my word; hear my cry; Obey my command, gods of the sky. What was hard for one now undo; From the blood of one create two.::  
  
Yeah, the words were a little corny. But the old woman had said that any spell from this book was guaranteed to do what he wanted. He concentrated deeply as he completed the incantation, pouring the mixture he had concocted into the locket. The potion contained many hard to find items, but the most precious of them was what made this spell so powerful: her blood. He couldn't bring himself to mar that beautiful skin in order to obtain what he needed, so instead, he had paid a demon half-breed to collect some of it during one of her many battles with Angel, Gunn, and the lot. He spit in disgust. The thought of Gunn touching her made him sick to his stomach, but soon enough, that would be rectified. He would have her all to himself. That thought brought a smile to his face.  
  
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"I'm not so sure that cutting off the head of that demon was necessary," Fred alleged, walking down the stairs after Gunn. "I mean, he looked pretty dead to me even before you cut it off."  
  
"Trust me; we didn't want to take any chances with a demon like that. . ." Gunn replied. "It was just too damn ugly."  
  
"Well, I suppose, but we could have at least cleaned it up. That poor old lady looked terrified." Fred plopped down in a chair in the lobby. "What do you think, Angel?"  
  
"Chopping off the head of a demon doesn't always work you know." Angel replied. "Sometimes you have to get. . . drastic. Then again, if a demon looks dead, then it probably is. Unless it doesn't breathe but once every 20 years or something." Seeing Gunn's look, Angel quickly recanted. "Anyways, I'm sure that Gunn was right in this situation. You can't be too careful." He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. "Uhm. . . ok. I guess I'll just be going to bed then, seeing as the daylight's coming soon and all." He hurried up the stairs to get out of this latest spat between Gunn and Fred. Lately all they seemed to be able to do is fight.  
  
"See? You didn't have to chop off its head!" Fred said.  
  
"Weren't you listening? Angel clearly said that sometimes you even have to do more!" Gunn retorted. They continued on about who was right and wrong, but as soon as Lorne walked in, chatting on the telephone, they sat silently.  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Weber. . . I understand that we've come to your house three times already and the things aren't gone. . . No, I'm sure that this time we'll get them. . . Look, just hold still until we can get there, and then maybe we can try it again. . . why don't I come there?! Because I'm just the desk clerk, Mrs. Weber. But I'll send out Gunn and Fred out to see you again, if you want. . . Angel? Oh, he can't come today, he's busy. But I assure you, Gunn and Fred are the best we have. . . well, granted, they are the only staff we have at present, but I can assure that they're great at what they do. . . Alright. I'll send them right over. . . Thank you again, Mrs. Weber. . . yeah buh bye now." Lorne hung up the phone, exasperated. "I don't think that I've ever known someone who was a hypochondriac in the sense that they constantly thought there were ghosts in their house that didn't exist."  
  
"Maybe she's just lonely." Fred offered. "She always fixes us cookies and milk when we go, and she can talk for hours."  
  
"Exactly why I'm not going. Have fun Fred." Gunn began to walk off.  
  
"Gunn!" Fred whined. "I don't want to go by myself. . . what if there are really ghosts this time?"  
  
Gunn rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever." He grabbed a couple of standard weapons and waved at Lorne as they walked out the door. "But if she starts talking about the time her husband defeated the Germans single-handedly in the Second World War, I'm out the door."  
  
"Deal." Fred smiled as they got in the truck and headed out.  
  
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He saw his chance. Lorne had gone upstairs and Fred and Gunn had left an hour earlier. He knew that Angel must be upstairs; he always was at this time of day. So now he had the opportunity to deliver the package. He had it wrapped prettily; she would probably think it was a gift from Lorne or Angel or Connor. He didn't really care who she thought it was from. In the end, what was inside the package would make her come to him. He left it in the mailbox, knowing that she would be the one to check it later on today, then ran back to where he had come from.  
  
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Fred and Gunn laughed as they walked into the hotel. "Poor Mrs. Weber. I wish that we had known that she had squirrels in her attic. That would have explained so much of this sooner." She said.  
  
"Yeah. I guess she really was hearing noises." Gunn smiled. "Well, I need to put this stuff up."  
  
"I've gotta go check the mail. See you in a few." Fred replied, traipsing back out the door.  
  
She walked to the mailbox, opened it, and pulled out the letters, bills, and a small box. It was wrapped in gold foil and had a silver ribbon on it. She looked at it, puzzled, turning it over in her hands until she found a small label on it. "To Fred. From Someone Who Cares About You Very Much." She read aloud. "Well, I wonder who this is from." She sat down on a bench in the garden and untied the ribbon, opening the box. She found there a golden heart-shaped locket, with a red stone of some sort in the middle. "It's beautiful." She whispered. But she was suspicious of anything that was given to her, even if she knew the person closely. She decided to show it to the one person she knew that might have any idea about it: Wesley. The only problem with that was that Gunn didn't want her anywhere near Wesley lately. But he was the most knowledgeable about things like this. So off to Wesley's she would go.  
  
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He had been watching when she opened the locket. He had expected the change as soon as she touched the locket, and was sorely disappointed when he saw that it hadn't worked. Now what was he going to do? He would just have to revert to plan two. He hadn't wanted to kidnap her away from her friends, but if that was the only way that she would come to be with him, then so be it.  
  
His first chance came that night, when she left the hotel at sundown without any of her usual entourage. She paused in the doorway, blinking, then continued on. However, he didn't want to take her just yet, in case the group connected her disappearance to the locket that had arrived earlier that day. So, he just followed her. She walked to an apartment building several blocks away, looked over her shoulder, and then pressed the button to go in. She walked up the stairs, and entered an apartment, where he lost sight of her.  
  
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There was a knock on the door. Wesley got up from his bed, not bothering to dress. It would most likely be Lilah, as usual, wanting a roll in the sack and any information she could peel from him. Not that he really minded that Lilah was using him. He didn't love her; in fact, he was using her as much as she was using him, if not more. She was a convenience.  
  
Either way, using or being used, he would answer the door, as usual, wearing nothing but his boxers, and the games would begin. "Lilah," he began, "I don't have any new information about Angel. . . so unless you're here for. . . Oh!" As Wesley opened the door, he was surprised to find not Lilah, but Fred, standing before him. He had the courtesy to blush at his state of dress, but still managed to invite her in. He motioned for her to sit in the living room and ran into the bedroom in order to get dressed. "So, what are you doing here?" he called out as he picked up a crumpled pair of pants from the floor and began to awkwardly try to put both of his feet through the legs.  
  
"Well," Fred hesitated. She was taken aback. What *was* she doing here? She didn't *have* to ask Wesley about the locket. She probably could have looked it up on her own. But she missed talking to him. As much as she loved Gunn, he didn't have the intelligence that Wesley had. She shook these thoughts from her head, and repeated the answer that she had practiced on her way here. "I got this locket in the mail today, but I don't know who sent it, and you know me, how suspicious of everything I. . ." she turned, facing Wesley as he reentered the room, still buttoning his shirt. She gulped hard, trying to look at his face, not his chest.  
  
"How suspicious of everything you what?" Wesley prompted her.  
  
"I am. I mean, You know everything I am suspicious of, no no, I am suspicious of everything. . . yeah, that's it." She was stumbling over her words. Mentally she smacked herself.  
  
"So you're saying that Angel Investigations wants my help again?" Wesley asked. He made a face. "Because you should know by now that I won't give it."  
  
"Actually. . ." Fred hesitated again. Why was she finding this so hard to do? "I haven't told any of the guys about the locket."  
  
"So are you saying that *you* want me?" Wesley raised one eyebrow and stepped closer to Fred. She swallowed again, hard enough to almost gag on her tongue.  
  
"Well. . . you are the smartest person I know. . . You would probably know what to look for. . . you probably have a book on it or something." She wouldn't look him in the eyes.  
  
"You could have looked it up by yourself." He smiled knowingly, then saw the plaintive look on her face, begging for him to come closer and to stay away, all in one glance. He sighed. It would be a long night. "Alright. I'll help. Hand me the locket." Fred obeyed. Wesley looked at it closely, examining the heart shaped stone. "It looks like a something you would get out of a quarter machine at the supermarket." He turned it over in his hands. "Oh, wait, what is this?"  
  
"What?" Fred stood next to him, looking over his shoulder.  
  
"Here," Wesley pointed to an engraving on the back of the locket. "It looks like some ancient form of Sanskrit. I can't quite make it out, though. Let's go look it up." He led Fred to the second bedroom of the apartment, now his personal library, and they began to hit the books.  
  
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Fred stepped back into the hotel. It was after midnight. Angel looked up from the desk and smiled. "There you are. We were almost worried about you." Gunn walked down the stairs, making a grand entrance in Fred's eyes.  
  
"Where've you been?" he asked, a little harshly, but with a worried hint to his voice.  
  
"I had to step out for some air." Fred answered. "Went to the park."  
  
"Honey, you know that's not safe. Not with vamps and demons and god-knows- what-else out there. Next time, tell me that you're going, ok?" Gunn pulled her closer and hugged her to his chest.  
  
"Alright. I'm sorry." Fred hugged him back. Angel smiled to see the two getting along better and silently left them alone.  
  
"So what were you really doing in the park? You don't like being by yourself." Gunn sat down across from her in the lounge.  
  
"Just doing some thinking. Things between us haven't been very good lately, have they?" Fred asked. Gunn looked down and shook his head. He began to say something, but Fred held up her hand to stop him. "Wait. I just wanted to say that it's neither of our faults. I think that maybe we're just overworked and overtired. And the only time we get together anymore is when we're working or sleeping. I don't like that. I want some time with you to myself." She smiled. "Things are a little slow this week; why don't we tell Angel that we want the weekend off. We'll check into a hotel. . . you know, one of the good ones with room service and everything. And just be together. What do you say?"  
  
"Wow." Gunn stood and walked to her. He leaned down and locked his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. "I think that is the best idea I've heard in a while. By the way, have I told you lately that I think I'm in love with you?" She smiled as he picked her up off the couch and carried her upstairs to their bed.  
  
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Fred woke up the next morning, finding herself on the couch with a book in her lap. "Oh my goodness, I must've fallen asleep last night!" she said aloud, waking Wesley. He was in the next chair, surrounded by several texts. "Gunn must be looking all over for me!" She exclaimed. "Mind if I use the phone?"  
  
Wesley motioned to where it was located, on his nightstand in the next room, and watched as she left the room. The fact was, he had not bothered to waken her when she fell asleep last night. He just sat and watched her for hours, finally drifting off himself when daylight approached. She had such a beautiful face. Not to mention that she was very intelligent. Everything about her was perfect to him. And as much as he didn't like Gunn at the moment, Wesley knew that he shouldn't get between the two of them. Not that he hadn't been tempted several times last night. At one point, he had even stroked her hair while she was asleep. It was obvious to everyone but her: Wesley was in love with Fred.  
  
He settled in his chair and picked up where he had left off the previous night, reading the next page in the watcher's books. Turning the page, he saw a locket very similar to what Fred had shown him. He read the text and called out to Fred, but it was already too late. She walked into the room, obviously shaken.  
  
"I. . ." she was pale and looked as if she was about to faint. Wesley rushed to her and caught her as she was about to fall. He placed her on the couch and asked if she was alright.  
  
"I just called to tell Gunn not to worry. . ." Fred's eyes were rolling around like they used to when she was in the other dimension. "And a girl answered the phone. . ." She looked up at him, her eyes suddenly focused and very frightened. "Wesley, the girl on the other end of the phone was ME."  
  
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She hung up the phone, shrugging her shoulders. "Whatever."  
  
"Who was it, honey?" Gunn asked, emerging from the shower with only a towel.  
  
"Oh, just a prank call." Fred smiled mischievously. "That's ok, though. It woke me up."  
  
"Woke you up?" Gunn raised an eyebrow. "Meaning that after everything last night, you can actually stay awake for more than five minutes? What are you, Superwoman?"  
  
"Something like that." she answered, kissing Gunn and pulling him back in the bed with her.  
  
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Back at Wesley's, Fred was completely inconsolable. "She answered the phone in mine and Gunn's room. She sounded just like me." She burst into tears.  
  
"There is a reasonable explanation for this. . . sort of." Wesley tried to console her. "I found out what the locket is for."  
  
"Who CARES what the locket is for? There's a GIRL in MY BED who is IMITATING ME!!!" Fred wailed. She and Gunn had been having problems. In fact, she had been thinking of breaking the whole thing off with him lately, but that didn't ease the pain of another woman in his bed. . . even if it was someone pretending to be her.  
  
"Uhm, actually," Wesley turned the book to Fred. "Recognize this?"  
  
Fred saw the locket and nodded. "Well, it turns out that whoever gave you this locket has succeeded in their goal. The purpose is to make a clone of you. One that has all of your memories and," he hesitated, "essentially IS you. . . in other words, that girl is you, and you are her. . . you may be the clone, or she might be the clone. Either way, you are the same person."  
  
"WHAT!?!?!" Fred screamed. "You're saying that there are TWO of me?" she suddenly felt lightheaded again. She moaned. "But I didn't even put the locket on. . . I was so careful, I thought."  
  
"The book says that you don't have to put on the locket for it to work. The special ingredient in it is your blood. As soon as you touch the stone, the clone begins to form. When you leave your place of residence, they appear fully in the doorway. The clone probably appeared when you came to see me." Wesley took Fred's hand and squeezed it in reassurance. "But don't you worry. We'll come up with a plan."  
  
"Yeah. We'll kill her." Hate ran through Fred's eyes. "I don't want there to be another me running around pretending to be me."  
  
"Well, that's not a very good idea either." Wesley slowly sighed. "What I didn't tell you is that the clone only lives as long as the original, although the original can live without the clone. But what if you are the clone, Fred? It is a distinct possibility."  
  
"I am NOT a clone." Fred crossed her arms. "I bet I can prove it mathematically."  
  
"And I'm sure that you can too. I mean, the other you." Wesley stated. "This isn't very simple. And there is no way to tell between the two of you. No genetic differences, no true personality changes. We probably will never know which one of you is the real you."  
  
Fred felt like crying. She also felt like screaming, "I AM the REAL ME!" but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she grabbed onto Wesley and hugged him, hard. He had been one of her best friends since she had come back from the demon dimension, the friend she turned to for guidance. Lately, she hadn't been able to turn to him for much of anything because Gunn and Angel disapproved. But Wesley was one of her constant comforts. And now she needed him more than ever. She refused to let go.  
  
Wesley, a little confused at this sudden contact, finally put his arms around her in a comfortable embrace. After a few moments, he kissed her forehead and gently pushed her back to the couch. "I'm going to fix us some breakfast, and then we're going to fix this." He said, squeezing her hand again before heading to the kitchen.  
  
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Fred sat staring at the eggs and toast sitting on her plate. She had eaten one piece of bacon, but she wasn't really hungry.  
  
"You have to eat something." Wesley bit into his jelly-covered toast. "You'll get faint."  
  
"I'm not hungry." Fred repeated for the fourth time. "Besides, I don't get faint. I've seen demon's blood and lived off of nothing but roots and berries for over a year, and if that won't make me faint, then nothing will." She stood up. "I'm going to go start the research." Wesley quickly finished his toast and put the rest of hers in the microwave in case she got hungry later.  
  
"Well, let's get started again." Wesley walked into the library and picked up a few more books. He brought them back to the living room and sat beside Fred. They began to pore over the books together.  
  
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Gunn kissed Fred on the forehead. "I've missed you lately." He whispered.  
  
"Me too." She answered, caressing his cheek. She stood and stretched. "Now, about that vacation."  
  
"I'm all over it. I'll pack, you make the reservations." Gunn smiled as he pulled on his clothes and then pulled the suitcase from underneath the bed.  
  
Fred bounded downstairs, running into Angel. "Angel! I have a question to ask. . . do you mind if Charles and I go off for the weekend? I mean, there hasn't really been any work this week, and we really need the time off, and we haven't been together in so long. . . c'mon Angel, please let us go, of course if you say no, I'll understand. . ."  
  
"Fred." Angel put up a hand to stop her barrage. He smiled. "Sure." Fred threw her arms around him in thanks, then ran to the phone to make the reservations. An hour later, she and Gunn were on their way out, laughing. Angel just shook his head in wonder.  
  
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"There's nothing here." Fred put down another book in disgust. "No way to tell between us. No way to kill the clone. Agh! You'd think a physics genius could fix this. . . but it's not even physically possible in the first place."  
  
Wesley leaned over and put his hand on hers. "Maybe that isn't the answer." He said quietly. "Perhaps now that there are two of you, it should stay that way."  
  
Fred felt confused. If what Wesley said was true, that meant that one Fred would have to go somewhere else. One would have to resume her current life and the other would have to leave. Only one could keep the gang, only one could keep Charles. And right now, Charles was with the other Fred. Then again, she and Charles had been having trouble lately. She had even thought of breaking it off. Perhaps this was an answer to her problem.  
  
Wesley interrupted her thoughts. "Maybe we should tell Angel and the others."  
  
"I. . . I don't know, Wesley." She shook her head, trying to shake her thoughts away. "I was just thinking. . . there can't be two of me. Charles and I have been having problems lately. Maybe I should just leave them with Her. Let Her deal with it. I could start over. I've done it before, you know." The look on her face was immensely sad.  
  
"You don't want to do that, Fred." As happy as the thought was that she didn't love Gunn like she used to, Wesley knew she didn't really want to leave. She loved all of them. "If you're sure you want to leave, you still need to tie up your loose ends. You need closure. And you need to say goodbye."  
  
"But Wesley. . ." Fred started, then relented. "You're right. They deserve to know." She looked miserable. "Let's go."  
  
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She had finally emerged from the apartment building. He had slept in some bushes across the street, waiting for her all night. Unfortunately, she was also with that nerdy guy, Wesley. Oh well. He would just have to wait until later to kidnap her. Then she would be his forever.  
  
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Fred walked into the hotel, Wesley two steps behind her. "Hey did you guys forget something?" Angel asked, bounding down the stairs. He stopped in his tracks when he saw who was with her. "Wesley?! What the hell are you doing here? Fred, where's Gunn?"  
  
"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me. . ." Fred started.  
  
"What are you talking about? You two looked so happy when you left for the country a little while ago. Did you already get into a fight?" Angel was confused now.  
  
Fred grimaced. She knew exactly what Angel was talking about. For a while now she had been thinking that if she and Gunn could get away from all of this carnage for just one weekend, they could try to fix their relationship. She had even picked out the spot: a quiet, out of the way bed and breakfast that had no reportings of ghosts, demons, or any other unusual activity. It was about fifteen years old, so anything like that should have shown up by now. Either way, she knew that she would turn off the phone and put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign. However, she put that thought out of her head for the moment.  
  
"Angel, you may want to sit down for this." Fred said.  
  
"I'm fine standing." He replied, giving Wesley a steeling glare. "You know, if you left Gunn to shack up with a traitor like him, Fred, you need your head examined."  
  
"Uhm, not exactly. See, yesterday, I got this locket in the mail. I decided to take it to Wesley because of course I didn't trust it. And I was right not to. Angel, the locket created a clone of me." Fred tried to gauge his reaction.  
  
"You mean, there's an evil-clone you with Gunn right now? We've got to go save him." Angel ran to the cabinet, but Fred stopped him.  
  
"Yes, . . .I mean No. . . Oh this is so frustrating! Wesley, you tell him." She sat down, covering her face with her hands.  
  
Wesley continued. "We did the research, and the clone isn't evil. It *is* her, just now there are two of her instead of one. In fact, it is so perfect that we don't know if this Fred is the clone or if the other one is."  
  
"Not evil? Then what is the point of creating it?" Angel asked.  
  
Suddenly it dawned on Wesley. "So that we wouldn't miss her."  
  
"Huh?" Angel and Fred said at the same time.  
  
"So he could kidnap one. Whoever did this wanted Fred for something, but knew we would come after her if she was missing. By creating a clone, you eliminate us. Except that they didn't. Somehow, this person didn't pick up one of the Freds in time."  
  
"So what do they want me for? Fred asked. "What's so special about me? I'm not part demon, not a seer, no special powers."  
  
"Maybe. . . Maybe they're. . . Oh, I don't know." Wesley was about to say that ::Maybe they're just like me. In love with you:: He realized this was neither the time nor the place. "Maybe we'll know if we can track him down." He finally said.  
  
"Fine. Thanks for the help, Wesley, we've got it from here." Angel tried to shove him out the door.  
  
"NO. He stays." Fed insisted. "With Charles gone, we need more help. Call Lorne." She pointed towards the office. She wasn't usually this authoritative. Angel gaped for a moment, then did as he was told.  
  
This left Fred and Wesley to themselves for a few minutes. "Thanks." Wesley said quietly.  
  
"Wesley, I need you here with me. I kinda feel like you're the only one on my side."  
  
"There are no sides here Fred. This isn't your fault or the other Fred's fault. Now, do you still want to leave after all this?" Wesley answered.  
  
"I just don't know." She couldn't think about that now. "Let's just focus on this."  
  
"Alright." He began to walk to the office, where he knew research would begin, but Fred grabbed his hand.  
  
"Hey." She said, pulling him closer and pecking him on the lips quickly. "Thank you." Wesley stood still for a moment, searching her eyes. "No problem. I'd do anything for you, Fred." She looked affectionately at him.  
  
Just then, Angel and Lorne came back. "Oh baby girl." Lorne enveloped her in a hug. "This will all turn out ok."  
  
"I know." Fred answered, hugging back. "Let's just get started."  
  
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Gunn pulled out a chair at the table for Fred. "Today's been fantastic. I can't imagine anything better than just being with you without any interruptions. In fact, I don't think that's ever happened before."  
  
Fred sighed, leaving on her hand. "It hasn't." She reached across the table and took Gunn's hand in her own. "Look, ever since we killed the professor, things have been different. But I don't want that anymore. I love you too much for one of the bad guys to pull us apart, Charles."  
  
"I know what you mean. I just. . . I couldn't stand to see you kill. You're not a murderer." He replied.  
  
"And neither are you." Fred smiled, squeezing his hand. They enjoyed a quiet dinner together, talking and laughing softly. After dessert, they walked back up to their room. Fred flopped on the bed. "So, what do we do now?"  
  
"I have an idea." Gunn took Fred by the hand and led her to the balcony, overlooking nothing but the countryside, a lake, and a purple-hued sunset. There they stood, Gunn holding Fred in his arms, just looking at the sunset. "When was the last time you saw something as beautiful as that?" he whispered in her ear.  
  
"I can't remember." She whispered back, leaning into him.  
  
"I can." He pulled something out of his pocket and she felt that something slip onto her finger. "Every day, I wake up to see you. And you are more beautiful and enduring than any sunset."  
  
"Charles?" Fred turned around to look up at him in question.  
  
"Marry me, Fred. Marry me here, today. I don't want to live one more second without you. I love you." Charles words were spoken softly, but his eyes were speaking volumes.  
  
Fred just smiled and kissed him.  
  
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"I just don't know." Fred started. "We've gone through everything, contacted our sources, and come up with absolutely nothing." She was walking with Wesley to the next name on their list: a last-ditch effort, because this woman was a known hoax.  
  
"So far." Wesley reminded her. "You never know." He tried to cheer her up. They arrived at the door of a small shop that appeared to sell simple trinkets and cheap potions. Wesley held open the door for Fred and followed her in.  
  
"Madame Truelove?" Fred called.  
  
"If you don't have an appointment, I won't give a reading. If you're buying a potion, I don't accept checks or credit cards. Cash only." A woman stepped into the shop from a back room. She was certainly dressed the part of an eccentric psychic: bangle bracelets, huge golden hoop earrings, rings on every finger, blond wig covered by a large turban, outrageous makeup, and to top it off, a multi-colored ceremonial robe. Fred tried not to laugh.  
  
"No, nothing like that." Fred answered her. She held out the locket for the woman to see. "I was wondering if you had seen this before."  
  
"Look around, honey. I sell trinkets like that all the time." She looked closely at the stone. "Although, I must say that the stone is unfamiliar to me."  
  
"It's unique." Wesley replied. "It's made of a mixture of a potion, some common elements, and blood."  
  
"Blood?" The woman's interest was piqued. "Funny you should mention that. I sold a book, locket, and potion to a man a few days ago, similar to this. Except it had no stone then."  
  
"Do you know what he wanted them for?" Fred asked anxiously.  
  
"He was particularly interested in one of the spells. It required the blood of something to complete it." She appeared to be thinking. "Oh, yes. He said he wanted to make a clone of someone. Of course, we all know you can't do that. This isn't real stuff. Just some stupid chant, some herbs, and blood can't create a whole other person." She laughed until she saw the look on their faces. "Can it?" she asked meekly.  
  
"Meet clone one." Wesley pointed to Fred.  
  
"Hi." She said quietly.  
  
"Oh dear." Madame Truelove whispered. "I've been doing this all my life, and nothing like this has ever happened."  
  
"Well, at least we know where it came from." Fred sighed. "Look, we need your help. I need to find the guy who did this to me. Can you help? What did he look like? Is there a counterspell? What was his name?"  
  
"I don't know how much I can tell you." The woman answered. "I don't know much about counterspells, but this book was very specific in that it didn't have any. As for the man, I don't know his name, but I can point him out to you. He's a florist. You know, one of those flower guys on the side of the road? I know where is stand is."  
  
"Take us to him." Wesley said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He watched as they left the shop with the old woman. He followed as they walked straight to his stand in the park. Well, now they knew who he was. Not that is mattered. He had another spell to transport both he and Fred to another dimension as soon as he grabbed her. No one would ever find them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The stand was closed. "Great. Now what?" the woman asked.  
  
"Don't worry. You've been very helpful. We'll go from here." Fred reassured her.  
  
"Honey, I'm so very sorry about all of this." The woman looked truly sorry.  
  
"It's ok. We'll call if we need you." Wesley turned her back to her store and sent her on her way.  
  
"So. . ." Fred started.  
  
"Right. You go left, I'll go right. Ask all vendors about the guy. We'll meet back here in twenty minutes."  
  
"See ya." Fred answered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He saw his chance. She was finally alone! But the Englishman was too close. He waited a few minutes, making his way to one of the new vendors, someone who wouldn't recognize him. He pretended to be looking at the produce, but listened when she arrived at the stand.  
  
"Hi there. I was wondering if you've seen the flower guy lately?" she asked, pointing to his empty booth.  
  
"Sorry, ma'am, can't say I know the guy. I just opened this stand a couple of days ago. Trying my luck, right?" The burly man answered.  
  
Fred smiled. "I understand." She reached in front of him, picking an apple from the cart. "Here, keep the change." She said, handing him $2.00.  
  
He took his chance, following her. "Miss? I heard you asking about the flower guy."  
  
Fred turned to look at him. Her eyes made him melt inside, but he kept his composure. "Yes, I am. Do you know something about him.?"  
  
He smiled. She was his. "Why yes I do. His name is Henry. I can take you to where he is, if you want."  
  
"That would be great." Fred smiled. "Just let me get my partner."  
  
"No, Fred." He said.  
  
"What?!" Her eyes filled with realization and fear. "How do you know my name? Wesle-hmmmmmph!!!!" She tried to yell, but he clamped her mouth shut with his hand.  
  
He put a gun to her back. "Now look, honey bunch, I don't want to hurt you, but if you scream again, you'll force me to. Comprehend?" he asked. Fred nodded.  
  
"Good. Now, you promise not to scream if I move my hand?" Tears running down her cheeks, she nodded again. He removed his hand from her mouth and kissed her. A couple of people had stopped to look at them, but when she appeared to go with him willingly, they shrugged and returned to life. If a woman was being mistreated, but allowed to be done, who were they to step in?  
  
Fortunately, Wesley had already been heading toward the meeting spot when he heard Fred's scream. He ran for the intersection and arrived just in time to see the kiss. He ran straight into the guy, knocking his out with one punch. Fred desperately grabbed onto Wesley and he hugged her to him tightly. She was sobbing.  
  
"Shh, now. Everything is alright." He stroked her hair until she stopped sobbing. Still no one around seemed to think this unusual enough to do anything about it. "Now, let's get him back to the hotel."  
  
Fred called Lorne from a pay phone and asked to be picked up, while Wesley watched the man. Anyone who looked at them funny got the response of: "It's ok. I'm a doctor. My car is coming."  
  
After a few minutes, Lorne arrived. Fred and Wesley carried the man to the car and got in.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey! You can't keep me here!" Henry cried. He was handcuffed and shackled to a chair in the center of the lobby. He looked pretty pathetic now that he wasn't wearing his coat or hat. He looked to be about Fred's age, but was prematurely balding, with coke-bottle glasses and clothes that went out of style years ago.  
  
Angel hit him. "Watch me!" He leaned into his face. "You know, I don't generally hurt humans, but for you I think I might make an exception." He growled, and Henry looked scared. "So let's go over this again. Why did you make the locket?"  
  
"So I could have my own Fred." Henry replied, looking over at her.  
  
Angel repositioned his chair so that he couldn't see her anymore. "Have your own Fred? Whatever for?" asked Wesley, who was playing the good cop in this scenario.  
  
"Fred was in my physics and calculus classes in college. I fell in love with her, but she didn't even know me. So I figured if she got to know me, we could be together." He truly was pathetic.  
  
"So ask her on a date! This is NOT an option." Angel growled.  
  
"I couldn't. She disappeared. Then, she suddenly reappeared with you guys. I knew you wouldn't let me have her without a fight, so I decided the best thing to do is make another Fred. One for me, one for you, everybody's happy." He actually looked semi-innocent.  
  
"Everybody is NOT happy." Fred stood up and walked around to face him. "And just where were you going to take me, may I ask?"  
  
"There's a paradise dimension I've discovered. I figured we'd settle down there." He looked at her with longing. "It never occurred to me that any of this would happen."  
  
"Did it ever occur to you that I wouldn't *want* to go with you?!" she demanded.  
  
"Uh. . . no?" He replied meekly. Suddenly he looked very sheepish.  
  
Fred threw up her hands in disgust. "What am I supposed to do now that there are two of me?"  
  
Wesley walked over to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure something out. For now, why don't you get some sleep? It's been a long day."  
  
"I'm not sleeping unless you're sleeping." Fred crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Angel? You mind watching him?" Wesley asked.  
  
"No, but I do mind you staying here." He and Wesley began a staring contest. Fred sighed. They would never be the friends and allies they once were.  
  
"Tough. He's my guest." Fred took Wesley by the arm and led him upstairs.  
  
"I don't like how that looked." Henry commented.  
  
"Me either." Angel whispered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Do you think we should've invited the gang?" asked Fred. "I mean, they are our closest friends."  
  
"Baby, I promise you, if you want a big wedding with a long white gown and a flower girl and a ring bearer and a priest and all our friends, we'll have it when we get home. This here," he pointed to the judge's desk, "This is for us. So that WE know."  
  
"You're right." She signed the marriage certificate and looked at the judge. "I'm ready."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wesley stood in his old bedroom. It hadn't changed much, with the exception of the torn apart furniture. Apparently Angel had been in here since he moved out. He decided to take the next room over, because it was still made up and ready for occupation.  
  
He took off his clothes and took a quick shower, toweled himself off, and put on a pair of boxers he had left behind in his old room. He pulled back the covers and slid between the sheets, reveling in their softness. In a moment, he found himself close to sleep when there was a knock at the door.  
  
He walked to it and asked, "Who is it?"  
  
"Me." Fred answered. He immediately opened the door.  
  
"I was just coming to make sure you were really going to sleep. When I went to your room and you weren't there, I was afraid you had left me." She was standing in a tank top and pajama pants.  
  
"I'm not going to leave you Fred. Not ever." In fact, the only reason Wesley stayed in this godforsaken city was her. "You should know that by now."  
  
"I still get paranoid sometimes." She answered, shrugging. "Well, I don't want to interrupt you. I guess I'll just go to bed." She turned to leave.  
  
"No, wait." Wesley stopped her. "Come talk to me awhile. We don't get to do that anymore." Before she was with Gunn, she and Wesley would have long conversations. They were intellectual equals, and best friends. However, after she got together with Gunn, they didn't talk much at all. This was a perfect opportunity to catch up on what they had missed.  
  
"You're right. We don't." Fred smiled warmly. She walked into the hotel suite and sat on the couch. Wesley sat beside her, a respectful distance away. He was surprised when she curled up into his arms, pulling them around her.  
  
"Everything's gone topsy-turvy lately." Fred almost whispered. "This whole thing. . .it's made me think of what's important. Who I am. What I'm doing. And to be honest, I don't know who I am when I'm with the team anymore. I mean, I can't help physically. I get in the way. I suppose if I was anything, I became the brains after you left. I delved into being what everyone expected. What they wanted. So I stayed. But now. . . there are two of me in a space where one of me didn't fit all that well. What am I supposed to do?"  
  
Wesley didn't answer. He knew that at a time like this, she needed a good ear to listen to her. Sometimes she had to talk to work out her problems, without interruptions.  
  
"And I didn't say anything to Angel, but I know exactly where Charles and the other Fred are. I've been thinking about going there for a while, but I finally gave up on the idea. I guess the other Fred didn't give up. She decided to go. And when they come back, if she's anything like me, they're going to be a lot closer than when they left. So where does that leave me? Nowhere in their life." She sighed, remaining silent for a moment. Wesley still said nothing.  
  
"I've been thinking about what you said. About leaving." Fred adjusted her position so that she was still curled up against him, but now facing him instead of away from him. Wesley raised an eyebrow in question. "Wesley, can I ask you a question?" He nodded, preferring to remain silent.  
  
"If I left LA. . . I mean, if I let the other Fred be the permanent Fred. . ." she took a deep breath. "Would you come with me?"  
  
Wesley was stunned. Of course he would go with her, to the ends of the earth. But he had to ask: "What are you asking, Fred?"  
  
"What I'm asking is, if I leave Angel and Cordy and Connor and Lorne. . ." Fred closed her eyes. "No. What I'm saying is that I'm leaving Charles. And I'm asking you to come with me." Fred opened her eyes to search Wesley's.  
  
"But Fred. . . why me?" Wesley replied.  
  
"If you don't want to, that's ok. I'll be fine on my own." Fred moved to get up, but Wesley held onto her.  
  
"I already told you: I'm *never* going to leave you." Wesley smiled. "Of course I'll come." He leaned forward to kiss her gently on the lips.  
  
Fred pulled away for a moment. "You promise?"  
  
"I do." He whispered, enveloping her in his embrace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I do." Gunn whispered, looking into Fred's eyes.  
  
"Then, by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you man and wife." The judge looked back and forth between them. "You may kiss your bride."  
  
Fred beamed as Gunn bent down to kiss her. Although the wedding had been arranged quickly, Fred had insisted on "doing it right," as she said. They went to a nearby boutique, where she picked out a simple white dress and a fake pearl necklace while Gunn rented a suit. They bought two simple gold wedding bands, and went to the county seat. They had caught the judge just before he closed his office.  
  
And now they were married. Rings on their fingers, smiling and happy. They drove back to their bed and breakfast, where Gunn carried Fred over the threshold and set her on the bed. "Hello, Mrs. Gunn."  
  
"Hello, Charles." Fred could never call him by his last name. She sat pensively on the bed for a moment, waiting for him to speak.  
  
"No regrets?" he asked, taking her hand as he sat down next to her.  
  
She squeezed back in reassurance. "Why would I regret anything with you? I married you, didn't I?"  
  
"You know, that's what I love about you." He smiled broadly.  
  
"Oh there's lots more of me to love." Fred got that mischievous look in her eyes again.  
  
"Don't I know it." Gunn moved to turn off the light for the night, but he was pulled back onto the bed before he could get there.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Fred woke up the next morning to find herself wrapped tightly in the sheets of the bed, feeling warm. She looked over to the couch and saw Wesley laying there, staring at her with a look that she hadn't seen in a long time, from Gunn or anyone else. "Good morning." She yawned sleepily. "I must've dozed off."  
  
Wesley smiled. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. "That's alright. Talking until four in the morning is enough to wear anyone out." He brushed a hand over her forehead, sweeping away a few stray hairs. Then he leaned down to kiss her gently. "Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Apparently I slept soundly enough not to notice when you moved me to the bed. Do you always tuck in your girlfriends?" Fred asked playfully.  
  
Wesley just winked in reply. "So what do we have planned for today?" he asked, suddenly moving off the bed. Fred curled up in the warm space he left.  
  
"I don't know. I was thinking that maybe we could do something with Henry." She replied. "Like, send him to a demon dimension after torturing the counterspell out of him."  
  
"Tsk tsk. Remember, there is no counterspell. And demon dimensions are not all that friendly." Wesley shook a finger at her.  
  
"It would still be fun trying." Fred pouted. "I mean, it makes me sick to think about him. By the way, did anyone think to get him a pillow? I may not like him, but I didn't really intend to leave him that way all night."  
  
"I'm sure that Angel took care of him." Wesley laughed. "Then again, maybe we should go downstairs and make sure he's not in a bloody pulp."  
  
Fred smiled. "Let me get dressed. I'll meet you down there in a few." She pulled off the covers, kissed him quickly, and hurried from the room. Wesley went into the bathroom and tried to make himself look presentable, brushing his teeth and combing his hair. Unfortunately, he didn't have a razor with him, so he would have to keep the five o'clock shadow for now. He walked down to the lobby to find Angel sitting across from Henry, who looked a little more bruised than when they had gone upstairs last night.  
  
"Look, man, you've got to help me. This guy here is a demon or something." Henry pleaded with Wesley. Angel just looked up nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Or something is right. He's a vampire. You're lucky that he has a soul. . . you should've met him when he didn't." Wesley kept walking to the desk.  
  
"Hey Wesley, I need to talk to you for a minute." Angel caught up with him. "Look, I don't like you. . ."  
  
"That's a bit obvious, don't you think?" Wesley retorted.  
  
"Let me finish. And I don't like the thought of you with Fred. I don't care if there are two of her now, you can't just take one. It doesn't work like this guy wanted it to. And if you take one of them away from us, I will tear you limb from limb. Are we clear?" Angel looked upset.  
  
"Crystal." Wesley answered. "But just for your information, if Fred decides that she wants to leave with me, it is her decision. Who are you to tell her what she should and shouldn't want? You think that she's happy here? It looks to me that she's miserable."  
  
"Miserable? I saved her from an awful world. She stays here because she wants to, not because she has to. She must be happy. What do you think you could give her anyways? A rat infested hell hole to live in?" Angel replied.  
  
"Isn't that what she already lives in? And you think she must be happy. I don't think so. I think that she feels indebted to you, so she stays. She's too good to just up and leave you in a mess. Which reminds me, what would you do without her? Without her, you lose the brains of your little operation. Admit it, you and Gunn are all brawn, and she is the balancing factor of brains, now that Cordy and I have left." He knew that would sting. The fact that Cordy had gone to live with Connor was still a sore spot for Angel. Wesley turned to leave the onslaught of insults.  
  
"Yeah, she's all brains. . . but she's got a great body too, doesn't she?" Henry interjected.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Angel and Wesley yelled at the same time.  
  
"By the way, Brit," Angel yelled after him, calling him by the Irish slang, "have you told her that you're in love with her? What would she say to that? Or are you just too cowardly to admit that you have feelings for her?"  
  
"That is none of your business." Wesley stopped in his tracks. "What does it matter to you anyway? You're going to get at least one Fred when all is said and done. It is more like what Henry wanted than you think. You get one, you're happy. What do you care if the other comes with me?"  
  
"You two quit fighting. There's no point now." Fred came downstairs, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with her hair pulled back in a half-ponytail. "What's done is done, and we can't change it." She walked straight to Angel and said to his face, "Leave Wesley alone. He's right. My life is my business, and if I decide that I'm going to leave, why would you stop me?"  
  
"Are you really going to leave?" asked Angel. "Why would you go?"  
  
"You've got the other Fred. We don't both belong here. I've accepted that. And I've accepted the fact that Charles and the other Fred are off together, which means that they now have memories together that I don't have. So I don't want to ruin that. Think about it Angel. I would have a whole new life. And as much as I would miss you, I could start over. If you could start over, wouldn't you?" she inquired.  
  
"No. I don't want to start over. Been there, done that. I just want to make amends for my mistakes." Angel shook his head. He looked at Fred closely. She did seem to glow this morning. "But why would you leave with HIM?" He jerked his thumb over to Wesley.  
  
"My business." Fred replied. "And don't talk that way about people when they are standing right there. It's rude." She stood there a moment, unsure of herself. She wasn't used to asserting herself, but now was a good time to start. All part of her new life. She took a deep breath to steady herself and put a hand on Angel's shoulder. "Wesley, excuse us for a moment." Wesley nodded; Fred led Angel to the office and closed the door. Inside it was dark because the shades were drawn. Angel leaned against the desk and waited for Fred to speak.  
  
She turned around. "Angel, I'm leaving Charles. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but this just seems like the right time. I don't know what the other Fred will do, but I just know that this Fred doesn't belong with him anymore."  
  
"You're leaving Gunn?" Angel was stunned by this news. The other Fred had been so happy with Gunn. As alike as the two Freds were supposed to be, they sure did act differently. "So that means you're leaving us." He said, meaning all of them.  
  
"I think that I have to. And Wesley and I. . . we get along so well. You want him away from you, he wants away from you. I honestly don't know why he stays around here." She looked down. "But I asked him to come with me if I left. And he said yes. This could be the solution to both our problems. To many of our problems. Angel, you would still have me, just not this me."  
  
Angel shook his head. He still wasn't used to the whole idea of two Freds. He supposed that it wouldn't hit him until he saw both of them together. Until then, his biggest concern was getting this Fred away from Wesley. Wesley was the cause of all his angst, directly or indirectly. If he hadn't taken Connor, his son would still be a small child; practically a baby. If Connor hadn't grown up and come back hating him, Angel would still have Cordy. Everything seemed to center around one action that Wesley had taken. And now he was taking Fred away too. "Fred, I'm not going to make you stay if you're determined to leave. But I'll be damned if I let you go with Wesley. Don't you see? He's the enemy!"  
  
"No, Angel." Fred spoke softly but firmly. "He is your enemy, or at least you perceive him to be. But not mine. He made a mistake, and you refuse to forgive. By doing that, I think that you are making an even bigger mistake than he ever did." Fred opened the door to leave. "Just let it go. And let me go too." She shut the door behind her, leaving Angel in the darkness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Fred stepped out onto the balcony alone, hugging herself. Inside, Gunn was still sleeping soundly. She looked at her hand, playing with the ring on her finger. The sunrise was to her far right, almost out of sight. But she looked at it with a new wonder. She felt so very different this morning than she had felt two days ago. Suddenly she felt like she was exactly where she belonged, as opposed to the out of place feeling she had felt lately. She didn't know if it was the ring, or the place, or just the time off from the business. She only knew that going back to the hotel didn't scare her anymore. She could face the demons and ghosts and apocalypses tomorrow. A sense of peace came over her.  
  
She sat thoughtfully for a few more minutes, enjoying the breeze and serenity outside. Gunn woke up facing the balcony and saw her sitting there. He moved silently behind her and put his arms around her. "What are you thinking?"  
  
"I'm finally exactly where I belong." She answered kissing his hands. "And everything is perfect."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lorne, Wesley, and Fred sat silently eating donuts. Henry (who had a gag in his mouth because everybody got sick of hearing him complain), sat staring back and forth between Lorne (who was wearing a yellow suit that day), Fred, and the donuts on the table. Angel finally emerged from the office and announce, "You're right, Fred. You want to go, I can't stop you. And I won't try to." He looked at Wesley. "I still wish it wasn't with him, but I suppose I can't change that." In an attempt to change the mood, he clapped his hands together and sat at the table. "So, what's for breakfast?"  
  
"How about a Henry sandwich?" Wesley asked. Fred elbowed him while Henry screamed through the gag. Lorne chuckled.  
  
"Very tempting." Angel cracked a smile. "But no. I make it a rule not to kill nerds so early in the morning."  
  
"Ah yes. Too bad." Wesley replied. Henry looked very relieved, but began to glare at Wesley.  
  
"But now that you've brought it up, what are you going to do with the little geek?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Ooh! Ooh!" Fred raised her hand, waving like a child in a classroom who knows the answer. "I have an idea. I wanna know where he was taking me. The paradise dimension. Lorne, you wanna do a reading?"  
  
"Anything for you sweetie." Lorne smiled. "Besides, paradise sounds nice." He took the gag from Henry's mouth. "Ok, stud. I'll let you use the bathroom and give you a donut if you can sing."  
  
"Sing!?" Henry cried. He looked around for help, but found none. He was hungry, and the bathroom break would be great. So sing he would. "Sing what?"  
  
"Anything you want." Lorne sat back.  
  
So, Henry began to sing. "Do you believe in life after love? I can hear something inside me say, I really don't think you're strong enough OOOOO. . ." He crooned. He was positively awful. Lorne cringed. He put up his hand for Henry to stop. Wesley gave him a donut while Angel unchained him and led him to the bathroom. Fred almost laughed at how stupid it all looked. Poor Henry. She almost felt sorry for the jerk.  
  
While Henry was gone, Lorne explained what he had seen. "Well, he was ready to go to a paradise dimension, no doubt about that. Never been there myself, but I hear that it's a great vacation spot." Then he started to chuckle. "The thing is, Henry didn't do his homework this time. When I say paradise, it's a DEMON paradise. Not the kind that you would particularly like. Lots of heat and volcanoes and jungles and stuff. Kinda like Brazil before it was inhabited. Not unlivable, you understand. Just not that desirable for two humans like you."  
  
Fred beamed at this news. "Then I have an idea. He wanted to live there, let's send him there. Then he won't bother anyone else, and we won't be killing him." She looked to Wesley for approval.  
  
"Well, I suppose. . . that is one option." Wesley looked at Lorne. "It wouldn't kill him, would it?"  
  
"No. He'd have to learn a few survival skills, I'm sure, but other than that, he'd be fine. And alone. No demon would associate with a human." Lorne looked back at Fred. "Good call, sweet pea."  
  
Angel returned from the bathroom with Henry. He shackled him to the chair again and joined the others at the table. "Anything new?"  
  
"Yep. We've decided to send Henry there to his paradise." Lorne replied.  
  
"You mean, we're sending him to where he wanted to go in the first place?" Angel looked perplexed.  
  
"Exactly. We'll explain later." Fred answered. She walked over to Henry. "Alright. You have two options. We can take you to the police, and you get put in prison for the rest of your life. Or we send you to the paradise you were talking about. As long as you promise never to return. So what will it be? Jail or the alternate dimension?"  
  
Henry searched her eyes for some sign that she was kidding. There wasn't one. "You mean, you would send me to paradise?" He asked, wonderingly. "And people wondered why I love you."  
  
Fred moaned and got up. "We're sending him." She turned back to Henry. "And before you ask, I'm NOT coming with you. And if you look at my ass one more time, you won't have to worry about Angel killing you anymore. Trust me." Henry gulped and nodded. Fred walked over to Wesley. "Let's get Henry ready."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Two hours later, Wesley and Fred came back from the hardware store with supplies for Henry. They had bought him a tent, a large and small canteen, a sleeping bag, two boxes of matches, a coil of rope, and a knapsack filled with a first aid kit and some extra food. They knew that he couldn't survive in the wilderness without at least basic necessities, and Fred felt sorry enough for him to at least give him a chance to live.  
  
"Are we ready?" Fred asked as she walked in the door, looking at Lorne and the candles lit in a circle around Henry.  
  
"Almost. I was just practicing the incantation. All that's left is for Henry here to break an urn of witches' ashes at his feet. Then everything inside the circle will go to Brazil-land." Lorne continued to read from the book.  
  
Fred put the bags down in the circle while Wesley moved to unchain Henry. They moved out of the circle and Angel handed the urn to him. "Don't even think about coming back." He growled.  
  
Henry nodded. "You guys are being more than fair." It was true. They could have sent him to a hellish dimension where he would have been killed instantly. "I'm ready."  
  
"Then let the incantation begin." Lorne said, and began to read from the book. It was a strange and unfamiliar language to their ears, but apparently it was working, because an unearthly light began to shine within the circle of candles. At the end of the incantation, Lorne nodded, and Henry dropped the urn, disappearing in a swirl of dust. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"That was relatively easy." Wesley commented. It was nice that for once, it wasn't too hard to get rid of the bad guy. On the other hand, in some ways the bad guy won. They would never have just one Fred again. Wesley wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing; despite his newfound relationship with Fred.  
  
Angel looked over to Lorne. "Hey, you mind cleaning up the candles?"  
  
"No problem." Lorne answered. He picked them up quickly and left the room to put them away.  
  
"I had a long night with that guy. I'm pooped, and besides, it's getting a little sunny in here. I'm going to bed." Angel went upstairs, but made sure to give Wesley a wary look before disappearing for the day.  
  
Wesley ignored him and put his arms around Fred. "So when do you want to leave?"  
  
"As soon as we can. But I think that we need to say goodbye to Gunn and the other Fred first." She answered.  
  
"Actually, I don't know that they other Fred needs to know that you exist." Wesley cocked an eyebrow. "If you were her, wouldn't you rather not know?"  
  
"You're right about that. But I know she's going to want to say goodbye to you. And even though I don't love Gunn anymore, I do want to say goodbye to him." Fred answered. "Don't worry, though. I have a plan."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wesley and Fred spent the rest of the day packing up all of Wesley's worldly possessions in a U-Haul van. Fred would have to buy all new stuff in order for her double to be ignorant of her existence. So she and Wesley went on a shopping spree. However, they dropped off all of the bags at Wesley's place and returned empty-handed. Angel was just awakening when they were fixing dinner.  
  
"So when are you two leaving?" Angel asked. "Not that I'm anxious to be rid of you, Fred."  
  
"That's ok." Fred answered. "We'll probably leave when Gunn and Fred 2 get back." She discussed her plan with Angel as the three of them sat at the dinner table, Angel with a cup of blood and the humans with pork chops and veggies. When she finished explaining, she concluded with, "Angel, I need to ask a favor."  
  
"Anything." Angel replied.  
  
"Don't tell her. Don't tell Gunn. There's no point. If you need Wesley for whatever reason, we'll be in touch. But we are leaving permanently." Fred was stern, so Angel would know she wasn't changing her mind.  
  
Angel nodded. "Ok, if that's how you want me to handle it, I will."  
  
"Then it's settled. We'll tell Lorne, and everything will be ok." Wesley said, sipping the last of his wine.  
  
Later on, Wesley went to bed, leaving Fred and Angel alone. He knew that she would want to say goodbye to Angel first.  
  
They sat across from each other, silently at first. Angel finally broke the silence by asking, "So where are you headed?"  
  
"We aren't sure yet." Fred replied. "Somewhere east, maybe. We figured we would travel a while, find a place we liked. Of course, that means we'll probably be doing the same thing we've been doing: killing vampires, chasing demons. Wesley will always be a watcher at heart." She smiled to herself, but became serious for a moment. "Forgive him before he leaves, Angel. Forgive and forget. Remember the good times you used to have, not the mistakes."  
  
"It's important to you, isn't it?" Angel looked at Fred closely.  
  
"It really is. I hate to see you two fighting. And it's more than that. Wesley wants your forgiveness. I can tell, even if you don't see it."  
  
"If he wants it, he'll ask for it." Angel desperately wanted to get off this subject.  
  
"He has, several times. He saved you from the water, he's given you information from Wolfram and Hart, helped whenever you needed it. You're going to miss him when we're gone."  
  
"The only person I'm going to miss is you." Angel replied. "Fred, don't worry about me and Wesley. We are as we are, and we're not going to change."  
  
"Fine." Fred crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Let's not leave it like this." Angel said. "You've changed from the crazy girl we found in the caves."  
  
"I was crazy, wasn't I?" Fred asked. "I am still in debt to you for rescuing me."  
  
Angel laughed. "You were never in debt to me. And you're still crazy. Just now in a good way."  
  
Fred cracked a smile, and the floodgates opened.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wesley came down in the morning to find Fred asleep on the couch in the office. Angel was sitting there, watching her with a stillness only a vampire could have. Wesley cleared his throat and motioned for Angel to join him.  
  
Once they were outside the office, Wesley said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Angel asked.  
  
"I'm sorry that I'm taking away Fred. I know that it won't be the same now that there are two of them." Wesley looked down, as if he was thinking. "And I'm sorry that you hate me."  
  
"You're sorry that I hate you?" Angel was confused. "I don't think you're supposed to apologize for that."  
  
"I'm sorry that you perceive everything as my fault. I've tried to make it up to you. But you refused to forgive. And I accept that. But I am sorry that we couldn't at least come to an understanding." Wesley continued. "I just hope that we aren't leaving things on bad terms."  
  
"Bad terms." Angel repeated. "No, not bad terms. Wesley, I can't forgive you. I don't really know why, but I can't." He sighed. "But that doesn't mean that you're leaving on bad terms. I want you and Fred to come back someday. Maybe by then, I will have changed."  
  
"Maybe." Wesley answered. At that moment, Fred walked out of the office.  
  
"What did I miss?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing." Angel and Wesley answered. Fred smiled. She knew.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Gunn and Fred walked into the hotel with their bags, only to find Wesley standing in the lobby. Gunn asked indignantly, "What is HE doing here?"  
  
"I'm here to say goodbye." Wesley answered. "I'm leaving LA. Permanently." He looked over to Fred. "I just wanted to say goodbye to you."  
  
Gunn held Fred's hand out to Wesley so he could see the ring clearly. "It won't take very long. You have no place here."  
  
"Gunn." Fred warned. "If you don't want to see Wesley, then go on upstairs. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."  
  
"But Fred. . ." Gunn started. Fred kissed him tenderly.  
  
"I'll be up soon." She emphasized. Gunn reluctantly walked toward the stairs, giving Wesley a steely gaze along the way.  
  
As soon as Gunn was out of sight, Fred ran up tot Wesley and hugged him. "Married?" he asked. She nodded happily. "Is that what you wanted?"  
  
"Of course. Wesley, I can't tell you how perfect this weekend was. It was better than any two days of my entire life." Her smile subsided. "Did you say you were leaving?"  
  
"Yes." Wesley pulled away from her hug. "It's time. There are some. . . complicated issues that have come up as of late. Besides, you guys don't need me anymore. It's time for me to move on."  
  
"That's not true!" Fred exclaimed.  
  
"Yes it is. You're the brains now, Fred. And you are marvelous at it." Wesley replied.  
  
"Wesley, I'm going to miss you so much." Fred threw her arms around him again.  
  
"And I, you." He said, kissing her forehead. "Do you want to go take a walk for a few minutes? I want to hear about your weekend."  
  
"Sure." Fred answered, and followed him outside.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The other Fred had been watching their exchange, waiting for Wesley and her double to leave. Then she went upstairs to her old room. Gunn was unpacking silently.  
  
"Did you say goodbye?" he asked sullenly.  
  
"Yes." She answered, hiding her hand behind her back so Gunn couldn't see she wasn't wearing a ring. "Gunn, look at me." Gunn obeyed, turning his head and looking in her eyes. Fred saw a light burning there that Gunn hadn't shown her in a long time. "Wesley and I will always be friends. But you will always have your Fred. And you will always be a part of me. And just know that on some level, I will love you for the rest of my life."  
  
"Baby, why are you so serious all of a sudden?" Gunn questioned.  
  
"I just wanted to reassure you." She kissed him on the cheek. "I am so lucky to have you."  
  
"And you do, baby. You do have me." Gunn put his arms around her. Fred hugged him tightly.  
  
"Now, I have to go get the mail." Fred said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She stood back from him. "I'll miss you."  
  
Gunn was confused. "Baby, you sure you're alright?" Fred nodded. "Well, I'm gonna miss you too. Just hurry back, ok?" Fred nodded again and left Gunn shaking his head.  
  
"Fred left the room, strangely elated but saddened at the same time. "No you won't miss me. And I'm not coming back. Goodbye Gunn." She whispered, and left.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So that was my weekend." Fred said, as they came back around the front of the hotel.  
  
"Amazing. I wish you only the best, Fred. You and Gunn both." Wesley smiled. He stopped at the mailbox and handed the mail to Fred, according to plan.  
  
"You want to come in?" Fred asked.  
  
"I'd better not. I'll say goodbye here." He hugged Fred. "But don't worry about me. I'll call you when I get where I'm going. Goodbye, Fred."  
  
"Goodbye, Wesley. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for." Fred hugged him tightly.  
  
"I'm sure that I will." he answered, and let her go. Fred stepped inside the door and waved as Wesley walked away. He heard the door click a moment later.  
  
About halfway to his apartment, Wesley found Fred sitting at a bus stop bench, waiting for him. She stood up and they walked silently, hand in hand, to the U-Haul van. They got in and buckled their seatbelts, still saying nothing. Wesley started the engine.  
  
"Are you sure about this? You're not going to regret it?" Wesley inquired.  
  
"Which part? Leaving here? Or my relationship with you?" she answered.  
  
"Both."  
  
She leaned over and kissed him. "I'm sure. No regrets. Wesley, it's just me and you now, the way it should be for us. I'm not the other Fred. I'm me. And I want to be with you, wherever you are."  
  
Wesley smiled back. He put the truck in gear and drove off.  
  
And it was here, at sunset, in a moving van, that they started a whole new life-together.  
  
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I hope you liked it. . . I couldn't find anyone to review it before I posted it, so I'm relying solely on your comments. By the way, I love any kind of comments, as long as you don't flame me for no reason. Constructive criticism is welcome. Praise is most certainly welcome. But remember, I won't write anymore stories without any reviews!!! ( 


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